Boys
by PercabethLover1477
Summary: Lily Evans hated boys. Every one of them. They were rude, insensitive, and she didn't know why she bothered with them in the first place. This is just something old that I found on my computer. Right now, it's mostly Lily and Sirius friendship, but there is implied Lily/James and there will be some actual Lily/James later on!
1. Chapter 1

Lily Evans hated boys. Every one of them. They were rude, insensitive, and she didn't know why she bothered with them in the first place. Lily repeated these words to herself as she ran through the streets of Hogsmeade, pushing through crowds of people, ignoring the dirty looks she received. But even as she tried to convince herself that she didn't care, she knew she did. And that was the worst part about boys. They acted so sweet and they bought you flowers and even did things like brushing your hair out of your eyes before they kissed you and saying that they loved you and telling you that you were the most beautiful thing they had ever seen. Well if she was the most beautiful thing that Adrian had ever seen then why the fuck did she just see him swapping spit with Evelyn Peterson in the alley behind the Three Broomsticks when he told her he wanted to spend some time with his friends? Evelyn Peterson of all people? Everyone knew she was a complete slag. Even if she did have gorgeous blue eyes and raven colored hair. Lily shook her head, did it really matter who it was? The point was that Lily wasn't good enough for him.

Finally out of Hogsmeade, she started sprinting towards her favorite spot on the lake. As she passed a tree her foot caught on one of the roots and she fell to the ground. Once she was there Lily couldn't bring herself to get up. The pain from her ankle finally prompted the tears that had been itching to fall since she witnessed her asshole of a boyfriend cheating on her after two years. She just lay face down on the grass and dirt sobbing, hoping that no one would hear her. Merlin knows how many other girls he had cheated on her with. After a few minutes, Lily felt a drop of water hit her arm, then another on her leg, and another on her back. Before she knew what was happening rain was pouring down all over her, drenching her hair and clothes. Lily, scooted over a few inches and leaned her back against the treacherous tree that had tripped her, attempting to get some shelter from the torrent of rain, and continued her bawling. She knew how pathetic she was being but, honestly, at the moment Lily just couldn't bring herself to care. The scene kept replaying in her head:

_Lily walked out of The Three Broomsticks, smiling. She had just spent an hour drinking butterbeer and laughing with her friends. Now, she was going to find Adrian and spend some time with him. Just the thought of her boyfriend made her smile impossibly wider. She really wondered how she could have gotten so lucky. He was absolutely perfect and made her feel like she was the only girl in the world when she was with him. Then, she rounded the corner and her happy bubble popped and the hurt came crashing down on her like a boulder. There was her boyfriend snogging the biggest tart in the school against a brick wall. Evelyn was moaning and his hand was stuck up her shirt. Lily's breathing came out in sharp pants and her eyes filled with tears that she forced back. Neither one noticed her. Her eyes remained glued to the horrid scene as she stepped back and eventually forced herself to turn around and run._

Lily knew that she wasn't helping anything by reliving the moment over and over again but she couldn't help herself. The rain finally let up and Lily caught sight of her reflection in the, now, still water of the lake. Her curly red hair was matted to her head, stringy and hideous as ever. Her green eyes were too bright and much too large for her wide forehead, blunt nose, and prominent cheekbones and the mascara and eyeliner that she had applied just for _him _was dripping down around her red-rimmed and bloodshot eyes. She leaned forward more and caught sight of her too small breasts and her not-flat-enough stomach. Lily felt self loathing bubble up inside of her. No wonder he had cheated up on her. Why would he want to be with someone who was so ugly that her own reflection made her feel nauseous.

"YOU ARE SO FUCKING UGLY!" Lily yelled at her reflection as a fresh sob tore through her body. Lily blindly felt around her for a rock and threw it at the lake, shattering the image.

"Evans, is that you?" She heard a voice call as a body stepped into view. Lily held back a groan. She knew that voice well from years of teasing.

"Who are you yelling at? I don't see anyone. Finally cracked have y-" He stopped short when he caught sight of her.

"Leave the me the fuck alone, Black! Just go!" She was not prepared to deal with him today.

Lily closed her eyes and prayed that he would leave before he saw her crying. He would never let her live that down. Despite her efforts to keep them at bay, more traitorous tears seeped through her closed eyes. Suddenly, she felt strong arms wrap around her. Although she wanted nothing more than to surrender to their warmth and let herself be comforted she reminded herself that this was Sirius Black. He went through girls like most people went through gum, so their had to be some ulterior motive.

"What the hell are you doing, Black?"

She heard him sigh, "Figures you'd want an explanation, Evans. First, Prongs would slit my throat if I left you here crying, second, I have never in my seven years of going to school with you seen you cry, not even when you fell of your broom and broke your arm, so I figure that maybe you've earned some sympathy, even from me."

"I don't need anyone's sympathy, Black, especially yours."

"That's where you wrong, Evans. If you don't tell someone what the hell happened to you, then you'll never get over it. And let's face it, at the moment you don't have too many options."

Lily wracked her brain trying to come up with something to refute what, at the moment, seemed like perfect logic. When she thought of nothing she gave in, which she was sure she would regret later.

Lily took a deep shuddering breath and opened her mouth, "Adrian. I saw him snogging Evelyn Peterson today."

"THAT FUCKING BASTARD! THAT SORRY EXCUSE FOR A MALE! WHAT THE H-"

"BLACK!" Lily yelled at him. He had jumped up and was now pacing back and forth in front of the lake. He stopped at the sound of her voice and reluctantly dropped back down beside her, now breathing heavily.

"Why do you even care?" Lily asked him.

"Because, Evans, that's fucking low, even for someone like him,"

"It's not his fault, though," She explained to Black, ashamedly.

"What the hell do you mean it isn't his fault?"

"It's me. I spent so much time in the library. I was never any fun. He always tried to get me to go places but I was busy studying. And I'm not even pretty. I'm lucky that he was even with me in the first place. And I wouldn't... you know, with him," Lily admitted, turning red at the last part.

"That is the most ridiculous thing I have ever heard, Lily. How dare that bastard even try to make you-" He abruptly cut off, leaving Lily shocked at the use of her first name. He took a deep breath and continued, "You were with him every time I saw you and if you only knew how many blokes James has hexed because they were talking about how pretty you are. Don't think that it's your fault. He's a idiot and he doesn't deserve you."

Even though he was probably lying, Lily took comfort in his words. "Thanks, Black, that means a lot." By now Lily had gathered herself together and managed to stop her tears and insecure thoughts. Now, she was just angry. And a little curious about some of Sirius's speech. "Why would Potter hex people?" She asked thoughtfully, while using her shirt to wipe the black lines under her eyes.

"Because he was jealous, of course!" Sirius said, giving her an odd look.

"Why would be jealous?" Lily asked, baffled.

"Because he's in love with you." Sirius said matter-of-factly, still looking at her funny.

"What are you talking about? James Potter be in love with me? That's absolutely ridiculous!"

"Of course he's love with you! Why d'you think he asks you out just about every day?"

"Merlin, I just thought that he wanted to sleep with me or something, I'm probably the only girl in seventh year who hasn't had sex with him," Lily replied, her eyes wide. At this Sirius burst into laughter so severe that he was rolling on the ground holding his sides.

"Just wait until James hears this! He hasn't slept with _anybody. _He's waiting for _"_the one" or something stupid like that," Sirius informed her once his peals of laughter had subsided.

"Oh!" Lily exclaimed, thoroughly shocked. Wait until her friend heard this! With a start, Lily realized that James Potter was in love with her. She would wait until tomorrow to process this information. She'd dealt with quite enough for one day.

"Don't tell James that I told you, though! He'd kill me," Sirius said.

He surveyed her wet clothes and hair and stood up, pulling her with him.

"Go take a hot shower before you freeze to death."

Lily turned white at this. "I can't go to my dormitory. Evelyn could be there," She told him.

Sirius pondered this for a few moments then continued walking. "Just take a shower in my dormitory," he said as if that solved everything.

"I can't do that!" Lily replied, shocked.

"Why?" he said. "No one will mind."

"You're boys, though!"

"Yes, Lily, glad you noticed," he said, rolling his eyes. "The bathroom does have a door. And if you don't you'll catch pneumonia."

After a little more convincing and a few threats, Lily finally agreed. Lily received more than a few strange looks walking to the Gryffindor dormitory, but Sirius just gave them a menacing glare and they quickly averted their gaze. The Gryffindor Common Room was thankfully empty except for a few scattered people, since everyone else was at dinner.

"I'm gonna grab some food, but you know where our dormitory is," Sirius told her and turned, heading back to the Great Hall.

Lily, who never actually intended to go to the boy's dormitory and just said she would to appease Black, turned to find refuge in the library, when she ran into none other than Adrian.


	2. Chapter 2

Recap:

_"I'm gonna grab some food, but you know where our dormitory is," Sirius told her and turned, heading back to the Great Hall._

_Lily, who never actually intended to go to the boy's dormitory and just said she would to appease Black, turned to find refuge in the library, when she ran into none other than Adrian._

Lily quickly stepped back with a sharp intake of breath. He didn't look very happy. Upon closer inspection, Lily noticed his usually well-combed hair was sticking in every direction and one of the buttons halfway down his shirt was undone.

"Missed you in Hogsmeade, Lily," Adrian slurred. "So much for spending the day together."

Lily took a deep breath and willed herself not to let him see her cry. "I found you, Adrian. You were just too busy snogging Evelyn to notice," She said cooly, pretending it didn't hurt her as much as it had.

Adrian's eyes suddenly flashed fearfully, "Lily, oh merlin, Lily, you've got to listen to me. She just attacked me out of nowhere. You've got to trust me. I tried to push her away."

Anger bubbled up inside of Lily. How dare he cheat on her and then _lie_ to her? "That is BULLSHIT, Adrian! That is bullshit and you know it! Don't you dare lie to me. I _saw_ you two," she snapped at him.

Adrian's expression morphed into contempt so quickly it startled her. "Well what the fuck did you expect, Lily? Two years! Two fucking years and _nothing_. I mean, I'm only human!"

"That's your excuse? Adrian, I told you the moment we started dating that I wasn't like that! I told you I wasn't just going to sleep with you for the hell of it. No, you'll have to do better than that!" She yelled at him. His expression suddenly softened again and he took a step towards her. Lily tried to step back, only to realize she was against a wall.

"Baby, you're right. You're completely right. I don't know what came over me. It was a mistake. It'll never happen again. Just say you'll forgive me and we can forget all about it."

"I'm not fucking stupid! I know that wasn't the first time and I know it won't be the last, so no, it won't happen again. We're done." Lily made to walk away before she did something she would regret, but Adrian stepped closer.

"No, baby, just wait," He cupped her cheek with his hand and tried to kiss her.

"DON'T _TOUCH_ ME, ADRIAN" Lily angrily batted his hand away and pushed his face away.

"Fuck, Lily stop being so difficult," He pushed her farther into the wall.

"Adrian, I'm warning you, touch me and I'll jinx your hand off," Lily furiously told him. Even though she wouldn't admit it, Lily was starting to get a little worried. Adrian pushed his face right in front of hers and she smelled the alcohol on his breath.

Now, Lily was anxious. She had always made a point to stay away from Adrian when he got drunk because of his awful temper.

"Don't tell _me_ what to do," He snarled. Before Lily could react, Adrian swiftly pulled her wand out of her hand and threw it to the side. "What are you gonna do, Lils?"

_Silencio_. Adrian silenced her with a flick of his wand before shoving it in his back pocket. He aggressively shoved his lips against hers. Beginning to panic now, Lily struggled, but in vain. She was by no means weak, but Adrian weighed twice as much as her and was quite muscly due to Quidditch.

Just when she was sure there was no way she was going to get away she heard footsteps. Lily expected Adrian to pull away, but when he didn't she quickly understood why: She was unable to make any noise, everyone still thought they were dating, and the corner they were standing in was dark enough that no one would be able to see her struggling even if they did make out who she was. The footsteps got louder and Lily prayed for a miracle as she tried to stop Adrian's hands from traveling up her shirt.

"Adrian Peterson? What the fuck are you doing over here? Already moved on to the next person I see." Lily recognized Sirius Black's angry voice. Adrian ignored him. She couldn't tell if he was extremely drunk or just extremely stupid. Or maybe he actually did believe he had some claim over her. Probably a combination of all three. Lily struggled harder and tried to get her face in the light so Sirius could see her.

"What a prick. I'll fucking kill him. He's got some nerve," Someone else said.

Sirius made a startled noise. "Wait, a second, Lily? Is that you? What the-"

Sirius lunged towards Adrian, pulling him off of Lily and shoved him against the wall. Adrian shoved back and they fell to the floor. Lily tried to see what was happening, but a pair of arms wrapped around her and pulled her away.

Lily looked up to see James steering her over to the portrait hole. She was about to ask him to remove the silencing charm, but the look in his eyes frightened her. James's jaw was tightly clamped down and it looked like he was grinding his teeth. His eyes flashed dangerously and upon closer inspection Lily saw that his fists were tightly clenched. Lily let him pull her into the portrait hole and up the stairs to the boy's dormitory without argument, ignoring the curious looks.

After they had entered the boy's room, James pushed her down onto one of the four beds. His expression softened as he looked her over. "Are you okay, Lily? Are you hurt? Do you need anything?" He said, anxiously. Lily opened her mouth to say she was okay but remembered that she was unable to speak. James quickly seemed to understand and his eyes flashed with anger that frightened her again before he grabbed his wand and muttered the counter curse.

"I'm fine, really. I'm just so _angry_. I mean who does he even think he is?" Lily said as soon as she was able to speak. Surprisingly, she really was okay. Maybe the shock hadn't set in yet, but she was more angry than frightened.

"What the hell happened? Sirius told me that you were going to take shower," James cautiously sat down beside her. After a moment's hesitation, he grabbed a blanket and draped it around her shoulders. Lily rolled her eyes.

"No, I told Sirius that I would. Did he honestly believe I would take a shower in your dormitory?"

James immediately looked worried, "Lily, he said you were out in the rain. You'll catch a cold. Just go take a shower now. I'll wait and if you want we can go to Dumbledore afterwards."

"Potter, I'm fine. I'll just go to my own dormitory. And I hardly think going to Dumbledore is necessary. I'm not going to make a big deal out of this and cause unneeded drama." Lily handed the blanket back to James and started to walk towards the door, when it burst open. A furious Sirius stormed in, with a cut lip and a bruise under his eye. "Merlin's beard! Sirius what happened to you?" Lily rushed towards him and inspected his face.

"I gave that bastard what he deserved. Don't worry, this is nothing compared to what he looks like," Sirius fumed, although the last part was rather smug.

"You actually fought him? Black, that was dangerous! Did you see how drunk he was? He could've hurt you!" Lily looked to James for support, only to see a satisfied expression on his face.

"I would've done it myself if you hadn't, mate," he said.

"Unbelievable!" Lily muttered, pursing her lips together disapprovingly. She didn't deny that Adrian had deserved exactly what he got, but Sirius could have been seriously injured.

"Oh, and here's your wand. I found it on the floor," Sirius tossed her wand towards her. Without a word, Lily lifted herself onto the tips of her toes and healed the split lip, although she was unable to do anything about the bruise.

"Well, I'm off now," Lily attempted to stride away. James leapt up and caught her arm.

"Evans, are you mad? Everyone will be coming in from dinner now. Do you really want to answer all those questions? I swear, you're so stubborn. Just stay here. We don't bite, I promise."

Lily was about to yank her arm away, but she considered his words. Most of the girls in her dormitory were gossipy and would pester her with questions. Not to mention Evelyn, who she really didn't think she could deal with at the moment. She supposed Remus would be coming in soon and he would keep the boys in check. And she was really very cold still. "Fine," Lily reluctantly agreed. James smirked triumphantly.

"Shower's through there," James pointed to a half-open door behind her. Shaking her head, Lily trudged into the bathroom, knowing she would probably regret not just sucking it up and going to her own dormitory.

Once Lily had peeled her still-damp clothes off her body, she stepped into the scalding shower. As the water poured over her, the shock began to set in. Merlin knows what would have happened if Sirius and James hadn't showed up when they did! Hopefully, he would have come to his senses. Although she absolutely _loathed _Adrian now, what happened tonight was probably more a result of a crushed ego and too much firewhiskey than actual malice.

With a shudder, Lily remembered how his hands had wrapped around her and crept up her stomach. Looking down, she noticed a bruise around her waist in the shape of his hand from where he had grabbed her. Disgusted, Lily vigorously scrubbed her body until her skin was red and raw. Before she could stop herself, Lily was crying again. She prayed that the boys wouldn't be able to hear her. She took a deep, calming breath, washed her face one last time, and shut the water off.

Stepping out of he shower, Lily caught sight of her reflection in the mirror. Due to her red eyes and blotchy skin, it was obvious that she had been crying. Looking around the bathroom, Lily spotted a towel rack with a somewhat clean looking crimson towel on it. She cautiously took it and wrapped it around her body. With a start, Lily noticed that she had no clothes to wear other than her damp jeans and shirt. Lily cursed herself for not taking the time to learn a drying charm. Hesitantly, she poked her head outside the bathroom door, horrified to see four boys now, rather than two.

"Erm, could I borrow some clothes," She tentatively asked with flaming cheeks. All four boys looked up from what looked like a game of wizard's chess to look at her. From their positions on the floor she surmised that James had been playing Remus with Sirius and Peter watching. James quickly leapt to his feet.

"Yeah, of course!" He answered a little too enthusiastically. He actually looked nervous, which was a pleasant change from his usually cocky and self-assured attitude. He swiftly crossed the room until he reached the bed that Lily had sat on before and began to dig through the trunk. After a few uncomfortable moments during which Lily looked anywhere but at the boys and Sirius, Remus, and Peter stared at her, James extracted a pair of black sweatpants and a green and scarlet "Caerphilly Catapults" t-shirt from the depths of what must have been his trunk.

"Erm, the pants are from fourth year so they should fit you, but I'm not sure about the shirt," He told her apologetically as he handed her the clothes.

"No, that's fine," Lily squeaked before she shut the door again with a relieved sigh.

Just as James had said the sweatpants fit, more or less, but the shirt reached her elbows and hung down to her knees. Lily took a deep breath and opened the door to the dormitory.

Although the boys were still gathered around the chess table, they didn't seem to be playing anymore. Instead, they seemed to be in deep conversation. As Lily stepped into the room, Remus immediately stood up and enveloped her in hug. Lily thankfully hugged him back. Although Lily disapproved of the Marauders in general, she considered Remus a friend. After a few moments, James coughed loudly, and quite obnoxiously she might add, and Remus hastily released her.

"Come sit down, Lily," Remus said, gently steering her towards the spot on the floor where the other boys sat.

A quick glance at the clock hanging on the wall told her that it was only 8:00, meaning the girls in her dormitory would just be showering and settling in to gossip, so she agreed.

Not for the first time, Lily wished her room arrangement were different. She was friends with plenty of the girls in her year, but none of them shared a room with her. Despite the fact that Lily had many friends, none of them were very close. Certainly not close enough to wonder where she was. It wasn't for any particular reason, she supposed, Lily just preferred several friends rather than a few close ones. Musing on this, Lily sat down between Sirius and Remus, folding her legs close to her chest and resting her chin on her knees.

After a few moments, Lily noticed that there was no conversation. Instead, the boys were are all staring at her.

"What?," Lily asked self consciously.

"You've been crying," Sirius replied matter-of-factly. Remus shot him a look and James sharply elbowed him in the ribs. Peter shot a worried glance towards Lily. "OI! It's true, she has!" He snapped, looking at James darkly. Lily flushed with embarrassment again, unsure how to respond.

"What Sirius meant was is there anything you want to talk about?" Remus asked her kindly.

"Honestly, I'm fine!"

"Did he hurt you? Do you need to go to the Hospital Wing?" James asked anxiously.

"I just have a small bruise, it really doesn't even hurt," Lily said reluctantly.

James's expression tightened. "Where is it? Show me,"

"Really, it's no-"

"_Show me._"

Lily almost refused, but then remembered that she was sitting in his room and wearing his clothes. Rolling her eyes, she grudgingly yanked the bottom of the shirt up. All four boys gasped, but remained uncharacteristically quiet. She had to admit, it did look pretty bad. The bruise was a splotchy purple color. Shoving Sirius out of the way, James scooted closer to her. He cautiously sweeped a finger across the skin, and Lily gasped, her eyes immediately filling with tears.

"Doesn't hurt, huh?" James said darkly, although he did look ashamed for having hurt her.

"I really didn't notice it until now," She replied.

When a stray tear slid down Lily's cheek, James furiously jumped up.

"That's it. We're going to Madame Pomfrey. And then we're going to Dumbledore and we're going to get that bastard expelled," He said, heading for the door.

"James! Please don't! I'll go in the morning, I promise," Lily called after him. He had immediately stopped in his tracks when she had used his first name, but didn't turn back. She tried again, "Please, just don't make me go down there," She said softly, knowing she was playing dirty, with his first name and her pathetic tone, Lily honestly couldn't face everyone right now. Cursing under his breath, James slowly turned around and returned to his seat next to Lily.

Suddenly feeling weary, Lily yawned, her eyes drooping as she did so. James's eyes softened and he gently pulled her up and guided her towards a bed she assumed belonged to him.

"Go to sleep, you're exhausted," He said.

Lily began to protest, but James lightly pushed her down onto the bed and pulled up the covers around. She knew she shouldn't sleep here, but the bed was _so_ comfortable and she was _so_ tired. As her eyes slipped shut she felt a hand brush her hair out of her face. Right before she drifted off, Lily heard someone whisper something, but she only caught a few words.

"...pitiful, Prongs. You'd...off a cliff...she...you."

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I do apologize for the mistakes but I'm on vacation right now and don't have my books to reference. Please review! Every single on makes my day and I always reply!


	3. Chapter 3

Turning her head to side to shield her eyes from the sunlight, Lily sat up with a groan. With a quick glance around the empty room, Lily smiled slightly, remembering why she was in James Potter's bed. Figuring the boys were at breakfast, but not certain, she grabbed her clothes and carefully slid out of the bed and out the door. There was a few people still in the common room, so Lily was careful not to attract any attention.

Once she reached her room, which was thankfully empty, Lily quickly changed into her school uniform and folded James's clothes, tucking them under her pillow to hide them. After a moment, she took them back out and, after glancing around to make sure she was alone, inhaled deeply, giggling slightly at how ridiculous she was. Replacing the clothes, Lily got ready for the day without any further delay. Her happy mood faded a little when she remembered that Adrian was in every one of her classes. Not allowing herself to dwell on it, she rushed into the nearly empty Great Hall and grabbed some toast and marmalade before heading off to History of Magic.

Lily had anticipated having to find a new seat, so she was pleasantly surprised when she entered the room with seven minutes to spare. Adrian was sitting in the far corner of the room and Remus occupied his previous seat. Shooting Remus a surprised but thankful smile, she settled into her seat. Apart from a few pleasantries exchanged when she first sat down, Lily and Remus diligently took notes and had no opportunity for conversation during class.

When Lily stepped into her next class, Transfiguration, she was once again surprised to see that James had beat her there, even though they had their previous class together, and was already seated at Adrian's former desk grinning at her. Once again, James and Lily greeted each other, but there was no mention of the night before. A few people looked mildly surprised to see her conversing with James, but no one mentioned anything.

For the rest of the day the same thing happened in every class with the exception of Arithmancy, which had no Marauders in it. Knowing this, Lily expected trouble with Adrian, but, once again, his seat was occupied. A small Ravenclaw girl to whom she had never spoken sat in the seat next to Lily. Smiling to herself at the lengths the boys had gone to keep Adrian away from her, Lily sat down. Although she tried to make conversation, the girl didn't seem to want to talk, so Lily left her alone.

Finally, Lily's last class of the day ended and she headed off to the Great Hall for dinner, having successfully avoided Adrian all day. Lily took a seat next to some girls she was friends with, ignoring the stares. Apparently, news about the break up had finally spread. She wondered what version was going around at the moment. Probably something ridiculous like how she seduced a hippogriff and tried to murder Adrian giving him no choice but to break up with her. Elena, who sat across from Lily, was staring at her curiously.

"Need something, Elena?" Lily asked cooly. Elena was fairly nice, but was gossipy and couldn't keep a secret to save her life.

"Nothing in particular. I was just wondering if any of the rumors were true," Elena asked, unabashed, as she leaned forward. This caught the attention of most of the people sitting around them.

"And to which rumors exactly would you be referring?" Lily replied, her cheeks slowly beginning to color from all the attention.

"You know, like how you shagged James Potter and that's why you and Adrian broke up," Elena said casually.

Well, she wasn't too far off. James Potter was SO much worse than a hippogriff and murder, though.

"Certainly not. I don't know who your source is, but I'd consider getting a new one." Lily stood up and haughtily stalked away.

Before she could exit the Great Hall, James intercepted her. Great. Exactly what she needed to fuel the rumors.

"So, Evans, where are you going," James questioned.

Lily bit back an angry retort. It was silly to be mad at James for something he couldn't control, especially after all his kindness. Nevertheless, Lily's response was slightly colder than she intended.

"Off to bed, if you don't mind. I've had a long day." Lily told him, walking towards the staircase.

"Not yet, you aren't," James replied, pulling her in the opposite direction of the Gryffindor Common Room. Lily tugged her arm away and stopped in her tracks.

"Excuse me?"

"You promised me that we would go to Dumbledore today, Lily," James said seriously.

"Not this again, James. I am honestly perfectly fine. That would only cause more rumors to start."

"Lily, he sexually assaulted you! What makes you think he won't do it again? To some other girl if not to you? If Sirius and I hadn't been there, what do _you_ think would have happened?" James's voice became dark and angry.

"Honestly, he was just drunk. It won't hap-" Lily was cut off.

"I'll give you a choice, Lily. We go tell the Dumbledore or I take care of him myself. And I can't promise that I'll practice any self control like Sirius did."

"Are you threatening me, Potter," Lily's eyes flashed dangerously.

"Not you, him," James said, not backing down.

Lily ran a hand through her hair, sighing tiredly. Without a word, she began walking again, this time in the direction James had been trying to lead her. She knew James wasn't joking about not having self control, and although she couldn't care less what happened to Adrian, James would get in trouble because of her.

A few moments later, she heard footsteps quickly coming after her.

"So, how was your day?" James asked once he had caught up with her.

"About that, James. Thank you. I truly appreciated it," Lily told James with a genuine smile on her face.

"Don't know what you're talking about!" James said, winking at her. Lily's stomach did a little flip. Lily noticed something below his eye.

"James, you have an eyelash on your face."

"Where?" James asked brushing his fingers under his eyes, barely missing it.

"Here," Lily stopped walking and reached her finger right below the rim of his glasses and slowly retrieved, holding it in front of his mouth.

"Blow," she said. James gave her an baffled look.

"It's a muggle thing. Blow the eyelash off my finger and make a wish," Lily said, laughing at how crazy she must sound to him. Shooting her a skeptical look, James closed his eyes, seemingly concentrating.

After a few second, he smiled, apparently satisfied, and gently blew the eyelash off her finger. Lily had the urge to reach out her finger a little more and trace his lips, but stopped herself and dropped her finger. James opened his eyes and caught her eye. For the first time, Lily noticed that his eyes were a hazel color - more brown than green. James cleared his throat and shook his head a little, breaking the silence. A little dazed, Lily blushed, although she didn't know why, and continued to walk, followed by James.

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**This one was a little short, but I just wanted to put something up. Please review, I'll always reply!**


	4. Chapter 4

Once again, I apologize for the delay! I promise I will **never **abandon this story though, even if my updates do take forever!

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Lily quickly finished brushing her teeth and crawled into her bed. Although she was exhausted, her head was spinning and she doubted that sleep would come just yet. The meeting with Dumbledore had been...unusual. Lily wasn't sure exactly what she had suspected, but it certainly wasn't what had happened. Admittedly, Lily had never seen Dumbledore lose his temper, but she still didn't think it possible that he stay _so_ calm.

_After a few minutes, Lily and James reached the stone gargoyle that signified Dumbledore's office. _

"_Umm, James? Don't we need a password to go inside?" Lily asked. In the few times that Lily had been in Dumbledore's office she had either been accompanied by a teacher who knew the password, or had received a summons with a password. She was sure James had been to Dumbledore's office a fair number of times also, although most likely for different reasons. _

"_Damn it. I forgot about that," James grumbled, shaking his head. _

"_I guess we have to go then. I appreciate the gesture though, really," Lily silently thanked whoever had the idea to put a password on the Headmaster's office. James looked ready to retort, but another voice cut in before he had the chance._

"_Mr. Potter and Miss Evans, I presume you are looking for me?" Lily turned to see the smiling face of none other than the Headmaster._

_James was the first to speak up, "Professor Dumbledore, Lily was hoping to speak to you about something, if that's okay."_

"_Reluctantly so, it seems," Dumbledore said knowingly. "No matter, my office seems to be the place for such a conversation. Sugar quill," With that, the gargoyle sprang to life and moved to the side and the wall behind it split in half to reveal a spiral staircase that was moving steadily upwards. Dumbledore stepped on and, always the gentleman, James motioned for her to step on before him. _

_When the stairs stopped spinning, they were standing in front of an oak door with griffin shaped knocker. Dumbledore swung open the door and swiftly stepped inside. Lily tentatively followed with James behind her, glancing around at the spacious circular office. Each time she was in here, the plethora of odd objects had moved and the portraits of old headmasters and headmistresses stared at her uninterestedly. Taking a seat behind his enormous desk, Dumbledore motioned for her and James to sit at the chairs in front of it. _

_Dumbledore folded his fingers over each other and patiently waited for Lily to begin. After a meaningful look from James, Lily nervously cleared her throat and launched into her story. She left out most details and only told the bare minimum. When she left out the bruise, James looked like he was going to retort, but Lily silenced him with a hard look. Adrian was already getting in trouble, she saw no reason to make a big deal about a bruise. Throughout Lily's entire story, Dumbledore's expressions never wavered from the pensive look he had worn at the beginning. Only his blue eyes seemed to grow colder behind his half moon spectacles. Quite the opposite, James gripped the armrests of his chair tightly the entire time, looking very much like he wanted to go find Adrian and pummel him right then. When Lily finished, Dumbledore gave her a small smile. _

"_Thank you, Miss Evans, for informing me of this. I assure you that Mr. Peterson will be dealt with appropriately," Dumbledore now turned to James his eyes twinkling slightly, "And Mr. Potter, I applaud you and Mr. Black's courage, although I doubt it was an undesirable task."_

_Lily quickly thanked Dumbledore for his time and hurried off, James right behind her. _

Despite the fact that Lily hadn't wanted to tell Dumbledore, she felt much better now. As if a weight had been lifted off her chest.

Just as Lily abandoned all hope for sleep, her stomach grumbled obnoxiously. Now, Lily regretted hardly eating anything at dinner. With a sigh, Lily rose and began to dig through her trunk. She was sure that she had some chocolate left. After a few frustrating minutes of digging in the dark, Lily finally located a clump of foil. When she pulled it out, though, Lily was disappointed to find only a few pieces. Lily began to unwrap the chocolate, but it was extremely loud in the silent room. Huffing, Lily grabbed a her blanket and went down to the common room.

Lily settled herself on her favorite armchair and greedily dug into the chocolate. Within a few minutes it was gone, though, and Lily was still hungry. Just as Lily was considering returning to her dormitory to search for more, the portrait sprung open and Sirius stepped through. One hand held a stack of precariously balanced cauldron cakes that he held in place with is chin, and the other several bars of chocolate. Lily's stomach grumbled once again at the sight of food. Sirius seemingly didn't notice her, probably because his eyes were glued to the cauldron cakes, and sat down in a sofa near Lily's chair.

"Sirius," Lily whispered sharply.

"MERLIN!" Sirius's eyes widened comically, and his cauldron cakes toppled all over the couch. Sirius looked up, finally noticing her, and shot her an angry look, "You made me drop my cauldron cakes," he whined. Lily was still giggling hysterically and was unable to answer.

"You should have seen your face," Lily choked out, still cackling.

"Yeah, well, you surprised me," He scowled defensively, his mouth already full with a cauldron cake. He hadn't bothered to pick them up and instead threw his chocolate down next to them.

Once Lily had finally caught her breath, she opened her mouth to speak, "Hey, Sirius, I'll make you a deal. You give me some of your food, and I won't tell anyone about how you almost wet your pants."

Sirius glared at her, weighing the pros and cons of the deal, and eventually relucantly handed over two cauldron cakes and a bar of chocolate, still leaving himself a generous supply. "I walked all the way over to the kitchens for those!"

Lily took a bite of her first cauldron cake, "You know where the kitchens are?"

"Sure, I am a Marauder," Sirius told her with a smirk.

"Hmph," She grunted, "care to share?"

"Never. It's a secret."

Lily rolled her eyes, "I'll just make James tell me tomorrow, then," Lily said confidently.

Sirius gaped at her, "Prongs would never -"

Lily raised an eyebrow, effectively cutting him off. "You really think there's nothing I could do to make him tell me?" Lily smirked suggestively. Lily, of course, would never do anything of the sort, mostly because she hadn't the first clue about how to seduce someone. Especially if that someone was James Potter.

"Nope. I don't believe it. Evans, even you couldn't make James divulge Marauder secrets."

Lily continued smirking. Messing with Sirius was fun, "You want a bet?"

"Fine, Evans," Sirius stuck out his hand, "You get one day to try to get James to tell you where the kitchen is. James MUST be the one to tell you, no one else. Shake on it?"

Lily stared at his hand. She hadn't expected him to take it literally! After another glance at Sirius's smug face, though, she knew she couldn't refuse. Knowing she would regret it in the morning, she firmly shook Sirius's hand. Feeling particularly vengeful, Lily looked at Sirius's stack of chocolate.

"Of all things why chocolate, Sirius? Isn't that a little girly?" She asked, pleased with how Sirius's face took on a reddish tinge.

"Hey, Remus got me hooked on it okay?"

"Sure," She snickered, "I'm off to bed, see you in the morning."

"Evans, wait!" Lily turned back around.

"The loser must complete one task of the winner's choosing," Sirius cut Lily off before she was able to retort, "as long it doesn't result in physical injury or break any serious rules."

Lily could think of no way to get out of this. She would simply have to win. "Fine."

She was _so_ going to regret this tomorrow.

* * *

I know I don't deserve it, but please leave a review! They really are what inspire me to write!


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